Big Tuna in Little Caymen

As I packed my one little traveling bag at the Airport and prepared to go first to Miami and then to the Caymen Islands....Sepia kissed me...at first a peck, then a long hot smouldering kiss...

"Wow" I said , almost blushing, if a Black man can blush ..."

"That's Just so you remember what you have here and don't fall under the spell of any island girls." she laughed.

Chris Thompson was there too...He took me to the side and whispered in my ear...

"Alright Kev, remember who I told you to ask for...Her name is Barbara West...They call her "Big Tuna" She is to that island, what I used to be in West Philly, you feel me? She can supply muscle and information. She knows everything going on on that little island..Tell her you know me and she'll lead you right to the doc..." he said.

"Got it Chris...Thanks man." I said.

"You strapped?" he asked.

"Nah...I can't take nothing on a plane, you know that.." I said.

"Don't worry...Big Tuna will have you covered. Be easy Kevin." he said.

"You know I will" I said, as I boarded my plane and waved goodbye to Chris and my wife.

After I flew to Miami..I caught a small plane and headed to the Caymen Islands....Little Caymen to be exact...the smallest island of them all. . It is located in the Caribbean Sea, about 87 miles (140 km) northeast of Grand Cayman and five miles (8 km) west of Cayman Brac. Little Cayman has a permanent population of less than 170 and is less than ten square miles in area, about ten miles (16 km) long and one mile (1.6 km) wide. Most of this island is at Sea Level.

Once there, I went in search of "Big Tuna". She wasn't hard to find.. Barbara "Big Tuna' West, was a beauty...Her curves could rival Mabel Jenkins and my wife, Sepia...She was dark skinned and wore her hair in micro braids.. She dressed very stylish and had a cute dimple in her cheek.
She owned a small bar that kind of reminded me of Josie's in Philly and she lived in a small modest house. Like Chris Thompson, she handled her other business, quietly and without rancor or drama. She poured me a tall drink..a mojito and we sat talking... I couldn't help but stare at the red bra straps that protuded from the side of that hot red dress she was wearing.

"So ,you know Chris Thompson huh?" she asked.

"Yes..we all grew up together in Philly.." I said.

" I grew up in Philly too...Haven't been there in years though... Used to do business with Chris a
long time ago..now I do business with Fathead sometimes...but I preferred Chris..he was a real gentleman..Quiet...kool...heh..heh.heh...sexy.......but you didn't come here for that...You are looking for American Doctor, who just found out that he is a wanted man...I will give you directions as to where you can find him....Please understand...I don't want any trouble..I like to keep things quiet around here...That's the same thing I told that woman who came sniffing around here for him a day ago." she said.

"A woman? What Woman?" I asked.

"She said that she was working with you." said Big Tuna.

"I'm not working with anybody." I said.

"Well, whatever....Here is where you can find Dr. Sarber and his lady friend....before you go looking for him, stop outside....My man, Jimbo has a package for you." she said.

I thanked her and I walked outside, where a tall muscular black man passed me a package.

"Smith and wesson smokeless...fully loaded, untraceable.." he said.

"Thanks...I hope I don't need this." I said.

"You'll need it." he said and walked away in the opposite direction.

I took a cab to the small Villa where Dr. Sarber was staying with a very attractive woman....She was sitting at a table drinking a tropical drink and Dr. Sarber had his hands up under her dress.
He was staring at her intently...

"Ouuuyu....Stop it now....ouuuuuuu..ohhhh you are getting me so hot." she laughed.

"Then put that drink down and show me how hot you are baby." he laughed....

Before this got any hotter..I interupted his little party.

"Mike ,I never figured you to be the soul of romance." I said as I walked over to their table. He was so stunned seeing me that he dropped his drink...

'Kevin...what the hell are you doing here and how did you find me?" he said.

"I guess you don't know what I do as a side job....I'm a private detective." I said.

"Oh yeah? " he said laughing....

"Yeah and I know that you murdered your wife...I've got proof....I've already been to the cops...
They are pretty interested in talking to you Mike." I said.

"Oh yeah...well they aint.....I'm not going back to the states....I like it here....My wife was insured for two million dollars....I cashed it in and came here....I've got more money in my off shore accounts...I can live here the rest of my life....Thanks to a Judge I own and a couple of cops..Look
around you....Do you see any cops?? No you don't and even if some show up, they won't arrest me...I own the cops here that matter , and this island doesn't have a treaty with the U.S., So you see Kevin...You came down here for nothing. You might as well go on back to Philly." He said with a sneer...

He was right...I had no authority at all..I wasn't a cop and even if I got the cops on this crooked island.. They'd do nothing..... Big Tuna's people had more integrity..At least they didn't pretend to be what they were not. He had gotten away scott free. I was getting ready to turn around and walk away when we both heard a voice that made us jump!

"Hello Michael...It's been a long time hasn't it?" came the voice....A voice I knew very well...The voice that had been calling me, giving me information and help on cracking this case..

'Sherry? Sherry baby...how are you doing?" exclaimed Mike.

"Don't you Sherry baby me.....you low life..." She said.

"Michael, what is going on here? Who is this man and who is this damn woman?" asked his ladyfriend.

"They are nobody...and they are leaving." he said.

"You see Kevin, Michael and I have history...I helped him kill his first wife....years ago...the same way he killed Jessica... I purchased the lethal chemicals for him...I used to be a Pharmacist...Michael and I were lovers....For years, We snuck around...with him promising me he was going to get a divorce and marry me... and stringing me along. I'm 43 years old..43...and he's been stringing me along since I was 28. Finnally, he insured her for 3 million dollars and got me to go along with helping him murder her. I did and being the Cheif M.E. There was never an autopsy done. Sound Familiar Kevin? I thought that now we were going to be together, but you know what that dirty low down sucker did? He up and married Jessica, my best friend...It seems the good doc had been sneaking around with her also, and she knew how I felt about him, but she kept it a secret all that time." said the woman named Sherry.

"You think you know people " I said to Sherry.

"I know, right?" she said.

I looked at Micheal Sarber...I really didn't know him that well...I really didn't know him at all.
I would have never imagined that this seeming nerd was really a player amongst players.Who
knew? Looks can be deceiving.

"Kevin...I was standing right across the street from you the day after his wife died...I saw you and your wife walk up to his house and hear all of that cooing and grunting and humping going on.. I couldn't beleive it...he had thrown me over for another hussy...when just the week before ,he had his hand up my skirt, practically ripping my underwear off ,trying to nail me to the wall in the back of my office...Low down nasty buzzard... I told him about the Black Market website where he could order more lethal drugs. He had wined me and dined me and begged me to give him some just weeks before and like a fool, I let him back in my bed..then after he got what he wanted, I didn't hear from him anymore.I wasn't going to let him use me or hurt me again. I vowed to make sure he was brought to justice." said Sherry.

"Micheal...IS WHAT SHE SAID TRUE??? YOU TOLD ME YOU LOVED ME!!! YOU DOG! You were over my house...humping and grunting and telling me how good it felt and how you couldn't wait until your divorce came through so you could marry me. and have me all the time....you lying ,cheating dog..and to top it off, you're a murderer???? OH MY GOD!!!" said his now former lady friend who slapped his face and tossed her drink in his face afterwords...

"Baby please..let me explain..it's not like what they said...See what had happened was..." he
pleaded..

"Oh save that tired rap...I'm outta here." she said and stormed off.

Needless to say, the Doctor wasn't too pleased....

"WHYYYYY YOUUUUUU!!!!" he screamed at Sherry, as he pulled a small .38 snubnose
revolver from the back of his pants...it had sat nuzzled behind the small of his back. He aimed it
at both of us..but before I could go for my gun, Sherry pulled out her pistol out of her pocketbook and fired one round!
It sounded like the hugest explosion I had ever heard..... Gotta love a woman that packs...

Micheal Sarber grabbed his arm in pain....

"Uggggggggggggghhhhh, I don't believe it...I've been shot." he said as he fell out of his chair.

What is it with these bad guys?

Sherry looked at me, she was a petite, light skinned African-American woman, with a nice cute face...She looked like a little girl with a grown woman's voluptous body. She put her gun back in her pocketbook.

"You're not the only one with a smokeless" she said. "He's all yours...There's some medical equipment on a boat by the shore...I'll call a doctor...Take him back to Miami." she said.

"But what will you do?" I asked.

"I'm going to stay here...I'm sure Big Tuna can find something for me to do." she said as she walked away into the night. I had wanted to question Sherry some more, but I thought better of it. I just let her walk away...Mike Sarber lay on the ground writing in pain and in a puddle of his own blood....I looked down at him-

"Gee Mike, that looks like that hurt......Women!! What are you gonna do?" I said.

Mike Sarber lived and I took him back to Miami, all patched up on the boat that had been supplied to me by Sherry, courtesy of "Big Tuna" I wished I had gotten to say goodbye to her.
Mike was turned over to the waiting arms of The FBI in Miami.. Just before he got in the federal car to be taken to the courthouse he looked at me and asked-

'Kevin...why did you do this? What did you get out of this? I didn't do nothin to you...what you want to turn me in for? You didn't even get paid for this...You're the biggest sucker I ever met."
he snarled as the FBI agents pushed the handcuffed doctor into the back seat of the car...

I leaned into the car and said to him....

"When you're doing all that time Doc...Think about me out here with my fine wife catching people like you who think they are slick, while you're sitting in a cell somewhere and then you tell me who the real sucker is.. Have a good life Doc" I said as the car drove away.

As I headed towards the airport I thought about all the money I was spending cracking these cases and how I wasn't making any money....I had a P.I.'s licensce....I might as well get paid doing this...I wasn't going to quit my job at the magazine , but I was certainly going to advertsie my services from now on... I smiled as I boarded the plane...I felt like a new life was about to begin.


(For Carlene...)